She felt like her life was beginning to unravel.
Again.
Fortunately, she had employees—DiAnn, Lisa and Kelsey—who were amazing with the guests and seemed to love the lodge as much as Jonna. No matter what she had to deal with in her personal life, she knew she could count on them to keep the lodge running smoothly. They were a real Godsend. She didn’t know what she would do without them, especially now.
The sheriff believed that women’s lives could be at greater risk if Jonna’s attacker was the serial killer who’d already taken five women along the coast. Her situation would certainly fit the serial killer’s pattern—the victims had all been out jogging the beach when they were abducted and killed. From now on, Jonna would carry Max with her everywhere. Living in Windsurf, she’d slowly allowed herself to pretend everyone could be trusted and that she was completely safe. She’d wanted to forget her life in Miami ever existed, but it wasn’t to be. Cold reality had slapped her in the face when the man pointed a weapon at her and fired, searing the image on her mind to go with the trauma from Miami.
Twin images now impressed in her mind—the most recent one sharp, while the old one was frustratingly fractured.
And into that clear picture stepped Ian—all muscle, strength and sharp, able-bodied moves—to save the day. Save her life.
That image also lingered in her thoughts all day.
She hung back watching him now as he finished stoking the flames in the massive fireplace, his jaw working as if he were as disturbed as Jonna. Finally, he eased his chin up and lifted his gaze to meet hers.
He’d known she was there?
Of course, he would. After what she’d seen today, she knew the man was trained to be aware of his surroundings. She had to find out about that training.
The other guests were asleep, or trying to sleep in this storm. She approached Ian, a thousand questions spinning through her mind. Questions she’d had to keep to herself all day in the presence of the sheriff or deputies or guests.
But now they were alone. Truly alone.
“Something bothering you?” he asked like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Yes! Yes, there’s something bothering me. She steadied her breathing as she drew near, but not too near. Not too close to this man. “I have a few questions for you.”
He jerked his head back slightly. Oh, yes. Now she had his attention.
“Ask away. I’ll answer if I can.”
She would have preferred if he’d said he had nothing to hide.
He replaced the poker. Stuck his hands in his pocket and leaned against the wall near the fireplace, looking ever so calm, cool and collected. And utterly handsome. Unbidden, warmth flooded her belly, and that infuriated her. She couldn’t be attracted to him.
Add to that, had she really stooped to questioning a guest? “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me, but I’m just a little freaked out.”
He gently took her shoulders and guided her over to the big overstuffed sofa. “Sit here. Relax.”
He joined her on the immense plush furniture.
“You have skills,” she said. “I noticed that today. You had told me you were a security consultant. I had thought IT—information technology.”
He huffed out a laugh to go with his grin. “I used to be with the United States Diplomatic Security Service.”
Slowly she nodded, understanding so much more now. “Used to be?”
His brow furrowed and shadows darkened his blue irises. “I protected a diplomat on my last assignment. A foreign dignitary visiting the US.” He paused as if considering his next words. “Now I’m a private security consultant.”
Jonna sensed that a lot hung between those last two sentences. Ian held back.
“A private security consultant. What is that exactly? You mean a bodyguard or a private investigator?”
His features twisted up as he contemplated his reply. “Maybe a little of both, but it’s less about muscles and guns. More about identifying potential danger and stopping it before it can happen.”
“I see. That makes sense. I’m sure that’s probably what you did with the DSS. Keeping diplomats secure is more about brains over brawn. Planning and preventing.”
“Right. Preventing rather than countering an attack. But we’re thoroughly trained to do both if necessary.”
She didn’t doubt that one bit after what she’d seen today. Regret poured from his eyes. What had happened?
He averted his gaze, staring into the flames. “I’m here for obvious reasons—to watch the storms—and maybe a few not-so-obvious,” he added.
When his gaze lifted to meet hers, she knew his words held a hidden meaning. What was it? His intense regard drew heat up her spine. Was she reading more into his words than she should? “I...uh...” Could she be more of an idiot? He hadn’t been talking about her, as in he was here for her or for them. There was no them. What was it about Ian that had her thinking along those lines?
Oh, I’m in trouble. I’m in big, big trouble.
She buried her attraction. What was wrong with her? She didn’t know the man. Didn’t know whom she could trust. She didn’t know if today she’d faced off with Washington’s serial killer or...or...if her past had caught up with her.
Please, God, let it not be so!
* * *
He’d been perfectly fine with her making her own assumptions about what a security consultant would do. Except now Ian had said more than he’d wanted. Talking about his previous job this much brought on anguish.
Admiration flickered in her gaze before she shuttered it away. “Well, your previous job training certainly explains why you were able to take that guy down today. At least until the ocean interfered. So what happened? Why did you leave your job to become a private security consultant?”
Ian pushed up from the sofa to stoke the fire again, though it needed none of his attention. He tried to shut out the unsettling noise of the wind, with its eerie wail. Would this storm ever end? He might be concerned about the targets he and Jonna presented by sitting in front of the big panoramic windows, except he knew no one could survive on the beach at the moment.
He sensed her eyes on his back, just as he had sensed her watching him earlier. Despite her appreciation of what he’d done for her, she was wary of him, especially now. A little truth wouldn’t hurt. She deserved that after all she’d been through. Although he hadn’t wanted to have to share that particular truth.
“Ian,” she said softly. “You don’t have to tell me. I shouldn’t have pried.”
“No, it’s okay.” Was it? “It’s not something I like to talk about. Something bad happened on my watch.” Somebody died.
“And they fired you?”
Needles pricked over his skin. “No. They wanted to transfer me. I could have moved to a different department.” Where he wouldn’t be directly responsible for protecting someone.
Why was he telling Jonna this? It would only wipe clean the admiration he’d seen in her eyes moments ago. He shouldn’t care about that. He couldn’t help himself. He glanced over at her on the sofa, still watching him, then the fire suddenly intrigued her.
“But you didn’t want to transfer?”
“No.”
“You don’t have to explain why. I can see in your eyes that you hold yourself responsible for what happened. I understand about that—” her downturned